Last night

So sad that it's my last night in Rwanda. This morning started off with a disappointment. We were supposed to meet sponsor children today. Stanwich sponsors three and then I sponsor one. After looking at the list we realized that the company messed up and included a different child on the list instead of mine. This was pretty upsetting because it meant I didn't get to see my sponsor child. I tried to keep an open mind though because we were still going to go see the three children that stanwich sponsors. It was a three hour drive to where the kids lived. During that drive I found out that Patience, my sponsor child, was going to be brought close to our hotel tomorrow so that I can see her. I'm guessing Mr Fletcher's arguing and frustration about the whole thing really did the trick! So that made the day happier. When we finally got off the can three hours later we were at the house of one of the kids. It was so cool being able to go into Sylvies house and see where she lives and meet her family. She had the most beautiful family. She had four other siblings, a beautiful mom and a dad who didn't have use of his legs and had to walk using his arms. The experience was incredible. We were all sitting in her house, which as you can imagine, did not look like a house we are used to. I had her little sister on my lap and her dad was telling us how thankful he was that we all had such big hearts to sponsor his daughter. It was amazing to be sitting in her house and to be so welcomed by her family. The whole situation was so beautiful to me for some reason that I could not stop staring and smiling at the family. After we sat with the family we went to a restaurant near by for lunch, and we're joined by the two other children that stanwich sponsors. We were not able to go to their houses, but being able to see them at lunch was still so cool. Sylvie and her family came too. We were joined by Luis and his brother and his mom and then Pauline and her dad. They were all such beautiful kids and had the biggest smiles on their faces as they ate heaping plates of food from the buffet. It was a really cool day. And then we headed back on our three hour drive. We went to dinner at a really nice restaurant called heaven, which is actually owned by a couple from the US. It's so pretty and yummy there. It's so sad it's my last night here. I have gotten so used to sleeping under a mosquito net, I don't know what I will do without one when I'm home. I feel like I just got here and can't believe I'm already leaving tomorrow night and will be home on Friday. So weird. I'm so tired so this post is short and not great but I will see you all soon and will be able to tell you everything in person.

Mission backpack

Today we drove the two hour drive to Rwinkwavu, which is the poorest part of Rwanda. The two hour drive ended up being three hours because of our nice long detour because of a broken bridge. Someone Mr Fletcher knows has built a library there so we went to look at that. It was the most amazing library I've ever seen. This one woman has put five years of her life into building this library and it really shows. It is beautiful. The books weren't in it yet because they are still finishing it but it was so big with huge doors and tall ceilings. It was really amazing. We decided to finish off mission backpack in Rwinkwavu because of the fact that it is the poorest part of Rwanda. So as we drove down the long dirt road, we stopped when we saw a child in a uniform, and handed them a backpack filled with clothes. Some of them looked scared by us and didn't know what was going on, but once they were assured we were safe, their faces lit up and they were so happy. It was really interesting to me because we had to make sure to give them to kids in school uniforms because is a possible problem that the other kids would try and sell the clothes and backpacks for money. Which defeats the purpose of our act of kindness. My favorite was a little boy who had seen his friends get backpacks and then ran after the bus for probably fifteen minutes so that he could get a backpack too. It's the greatest feeling in the world to be driving down a dirt road and just hand a backpack to a random school kid. It's so cool to think how they woke up this morning thinking they were going to go to school and come home and have an ordinary day. They never expected to be stopped by a random white van filled with white kids handing them a backpack of goodies and smiling. It must look so weird to them but they were all so grateful. It probably made their day, maybe even their week. It was also amazing to watch them as the van drove away because they would all open their backpack and show their friends or their moms what was in it. I bet they were all so happy and that makes me so happy. Such a small random act of kindness can change someone's life and I love it! I also saw two baby black pigs. And for all of you who know me well, you can only imagine how I reacted to this. I was squealing and clapping my hands together like a hyper little child. I made the bus stop so I could take pictures of the two baby pigs. Oh my god they were so cute I may have wanted to steal one more then a child. And that is saying a lot. I want one! But that was my day. Not too long which was nice. But my legs were so cramped from the van ride I was like a newborn trying to walk. We do this thing where every night one of the kids recognizes someone who stood out to them that day in a positive way and then that person gets passed the bandana ( which is actually the belt to a donated bath robe), and then that person wears the belt with pride the next day. Tonight, one of the girls gave me the honorable belt so tomorrow I have to wear it around. I need to come up with a stylish way to wear it haha. I can not believe that tomorrow is my last full day here. It's so sad. I'm excited to get home but don't want to leave. I wish I could just bring everyone here so I could be with them but be in Rwanda. You all need to come sometime. It was amazing the first time I came and is even better this time. It's such a wonderful place! Oink oink goodnight!

Classroom is complete

I was so exhausted last night that I didn't post anything. But we finished the classroom! It looks awesome now that it is all complete. It is so bright. One wall has simple math problems, another has the days of the week and another has a weather scene which was requested by the stanwich pre-k cottage. It looks so good! It was really cool seeing it all complete and the kids kept looking in the window to try and see what it looked like. The kids aren't allowed to go into the classrooms until the school is opened up. But Winnie, a friend of pastor Norman, and now our new friend, started telling the kids stories. It was so cute because all the cyabatanzi kids were gathered around Winnie listening to what she had to say. Mr fletcher suggested they move the story telling into the classroom that was completed last summer. The kids were so excited to be able to go into the classroom. It was really cool to see what it will be like when school actually opens there. Winnie was teaching then their numbers and letters because they are painted on the wall. The kids were so excited and were shouting their letters and numbers so proudly. I even jumped in and helped them to recite their letters from A-Z and then from Z-A. When we finished painting, we closed the doors to the kindergarten and were finished in cyabatanzi. It was crazy how quickly we got it down. All the kids worked together to complete their task which was really cool. I've done many trips where we painted houses and it never got done this quickly. We drove down to the main road and I had my eyes peeled for kids in the clothes we gave them the day before. All of a sudden, from far away, I see bright green pants. They were my old pants. I could just tell. When we got closer, I was right. A little boy was wearing my old navy green butterfly pants that I had given. I wanted to see someone in them so badly, so seeing this boy in my old pants made my entire trip. I even made the driver stop the van so I could take a picture of him. It was the coolest thing ever. We also got invited to pastor Normans house for dinner last night. He asked us to come over at 7, which is late for us here, since we had become used to leaving for dinner at 5:30. It's funny because in Rwanda it takes so long to get your food whenever you go to dinner. And going to the pastors house was no different. We got there and sat in his living room and had tea. African tea by the way, is the best tea ever! It's so good! But then we sat there for two hours talking. Pastor Norman had disappeared and so did his wife. So all us Americans were just hanging out alone in his living room. It was fun though even though everyone was getting a little bit delirious by the time the food came at 9:00. It was really cool to be eating in someone's house in Rwanda instead of a restaurant. So it was a really cool experience. By the time we got back to the hotel I was so exhausted that I ran into the wall when I was trying to walk into the bathroom. That's when I decided to not blog and go to bed. But that was yesterday ....
Today we got to sleep in which was really nice. We then went to visit two different groups of women who had made jewelry for us to bring home and sell at home. They had all made so much it was really cool. The second group we went to had babies everywhere so of course right away I was on the floor with the babies. One baby was probably 7 months old and was getting such pleasure out of eating my knuckles. She would use my knuckles as a bottle and then laugh to herself. She was adorable. And then there was a boy who was about two and he thought it was the funniest thing to pull my hair out of my head. He was adorable though. I wish I had brought my camera in because they were the cutest kids ever. We left and went to lunch at the little mall and are now back at the hotel. The owners of the hotel are having a BBQ for us tonight so we are just staying in and hanging out. Which should be nice after a long couple of days. I can't wait for you all to see pictures!

I'm blue

We painted the classroom blue today. It looks so good and the color is so pretty. We are using an oil based paint so it is very messy and once it is on you, it's not coming off for a while. I currently have smurph hands. But the classroom looks incredible. Everyone worked so hard to get it done and it looks so good! Tomorrow we get to do all the designs and decorating which I was in charge of planning with my group of three girls. It's going to look great! It's so fun painting in a group like that because they are so fun and so funny and love to laugh. I love it and secretly wish I was back in high school like them. They are really great kids. After the classroom transformed from a primed mess to a blue beauty, we drove a little bit down the hill to do mission backpack. This was my favorite part of the day. This is the type of stuff I love. I love being able to put a huge smile on someone else's face, especially a little kids. We carried 20 backpacks of clothing and two boxes of clothing up the hill and into the church of this community. There were so many kids there and they all sang for us out of appreciation. It was really amazing to see all those kids sitting there and knowing that soon they would have new clothes to wear. The pastor was saying how they pray for something like this everyday. For someone to come and help them with things they can not afford. I think it's really special that we were the ones who answered his prayers. It's not everyday you can say you did that. I was smiling the whole time. I just kept imagining these little kids running around in my old clothes that were going to be so new and wonderful to them. In the specific community we partner with, cyabatanzi, you always know what child you played with the day before, or what little kid you took a picture with. It's so easy to remember this because they are always wearing the same outfit. And that outfit is always dirty. It is the same with the community we helped today. Soon they will be able to retire that outfit that they have been wearing for weeks, even months non stop , and will be able to put on fresh and new bright clothes. I am so excited for them and can only imagine how happy they are. I'm hoping that tomorrow when we drive past their village on the way to the top of the hill, that I see a kid wearing the clothes we gave. That would really make my day. We ate dinner at the little mall they have. We ate at bourbon coffee. It's so funny because they have bourbon coffees in Boston and dc I think and then Rwanda. So random hahah. But it's really good food and I got to have a veggie burger! But while we were there I went into the big convenient store with some of the girls to get them candy and while there I decided to get something to give to my sponsor child when I finally get to meet her. The options were slim so I just ended up getting here a pink bouncy ball with Minnie mouse and daffy duck on it and then some lollipops. I hope she likes it! I also can't believe I only have five more full days here. It's so weird. I love it here so much and wish everyone from home could have the chance to come and see what I am so lucky to experience. Rwanda is a very special and amazing country and right this minute I am so happy and wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Prime time

Today we started to prime the kindergarten classroom up in cyabatanzi. It's a process that is so different from painting back home. Everything is done with raw materials. We all had primer everywhere. All over our clothes and in our hair. It was so cute because all the little kids gathered around the windows peering in to watch us paint. They were fascinated by what we were doing. We took a break from priming to walk down to the church and we were able to see the woman making jewelry. It's pretty cool because we gave them money to be trained in jewelry making and also to buy the materials, and then we are going to bring the finished pieces back home with us and sell them. It was really awesome being able to see what kind of work goes into making those pieces. We even got to try it ourselves which was an amazing experience. There were just all these women sitting in the church with their babies making necklaces. The women were so appreciative that we gave them this opportunity. Now these women have a purpose. They have a job and are not just mothers and wives. They have something to look forward to when they wake up and know that it is making them money so that they can better their lives. We had this girl Winnie with us who is friends with the pastor we work with. She spoke very good English so she was great to have along with us. She told us that the women had told her how thankful they are for us being there and helping them to make their jewelry business possible. She said how amazed they were that we were on our "summer holiday" and still came to help them. You could tell how appreciative they were too. We walked in and they were so proud to show me all the beads they had already made. We really have formed such a relationship with this community and there is a lot of trust that they have formed. This one mom in the church who was making beads even handed me her baby to hold. This baby was actually a baby too. Less then a year old. And she trusted me enough to just hand me her baby to sit and play with. I thought that was really cool, and of course i was in heaven playing with this tiny baby on my lap. We then made peanut butter and jelly for lunch. We forgot knives so we ended up using the ends of the paintbrushes to spread the peanut butter around. Pretty smart I know. But then we finished priming the room. It was cool to see how much different it looked even though there was only gross white primer on the walls. It felt like I was back in YG again painting walls. When we were finished we drove down the hill and decided to stop in the community at the bottom of the hill and ask if we could hand out clothing to their community tomorrow. We pass through their small community on our way up to cyabatanzi every day and thought it would be a nice idea to make a connection with them also, so that we weren't just the random white van of white people who drive by all the time. So we got permission from the communities pastor to do part of our mission backpack in that community. Mission backpack is when we hand out backpacks filled with clothes to be distributed to the communities. Packing up the backpacks made me feel so good about what we are going to do tomorrow. I saw so many of my old clothes being put into backpacks and it put such a smile on my face knowing that soon my old green pants with butterflies and pink converse sneakers would be worn by a child who will appreciate them forever. One of my old little jackets has my name in it which is also cool to me that some little Rwandan child is going to be walking around with my name in their jacket. It's a really great feeling knowing you are literally putting the clothes on someone's back who really needs it, especially a child. It always makes me so sad to see the kids because they are always in the same clothes as they were days before, and those clothes are always so dirty and covered in holes. So I can't even imagine their happiness when they see clean new clothes for them to wear. I'm sure it will make their day. I get so tired here so early because I am up early and then going and going all day. It's only 8:40 here right now and I'm exhausted and want to sleep. So off I go to read in bed while music blasts from the city surrounding us. Friday nights in Rwanda haha. I can't believe I've already been here a week. It feels like forever but also like I just got here. I miss everyone at home and can't wait to see you all in a week!

Gorillas!

Today was amazing. Besides the fact that we woke up at 3:30 am to be on the road for our three hour drive to the gorillas. The ride ended up being only two hours because our new driver Robert decided to speed. It was pretty cool though because on the drive up , for the parts of it that I wasn't asleep, I saw all these women walking down the road carrying things on their head. This isn't a weird sight to see and I love seeing it but it was such a shock because it was 4:00 in the morning. But we got to the visitor place and all the visitors were greeted by people doing the traditional Rwandan dance. I had seen this dance the first time I came and was so happy to see it again. They are so passionate about dancing and have the biggest smiles on their faces. It's really cool. Then we split our large group into two small groups because only groups of 8 can go up. So I was on team fletcher which was so fun and a great group of kids ! And so we hopped in our separate vans and went for another drive, this one being 45 minutes. We drove to the base of the area of the mountain that the gorilla family we were assigned to was located. Basically each group is assigned to a different gorilla family that they go up and see. Now this wasn't just a nice little walk up a hill. This was a two hour hike up an intense mountain. The views were beautiful though. There was farming everywhere around us and all the local families waved to us as we walked up. It was funny because all of us Americans were huffing and puffing and sweating until our shirts changed color, and then these little Rwandan children were running up the mountain to catch up and see us. It was brutal but my group was awesome and we made it to the entrance to the park. But that two hour hike was not the end of it. We made our way into the forest of jungle, pushing away branches and stepping over plants. They told us to beware of the stinging needles but of course I run into a branch of them and my thigh starts stinging immediately. Don't worry, they assured me I would live after I asked if I was going to die. But then all of a sudden we hear this loud screech. It was a gorilla. Not gonna lie I freaked out a little and got a bit scared. And it didn't make it any better when the guide told us that they may try and attack if they feel threatened, but not to worry and to just sit down and be calm. In my head I'm like yea ok let me just sit down on these stinging needles you just warned me about and act calm as I'm about to get attacked by a huge monkey. Luckily this didn't happen though! All of a sudden the hacking through the brush stops and we see a family of 14 gorillas all sitting in the brush. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. The coolest part was that we were incredibly close to them. I had expected us to be looking at them from a far and that I would have to use some intense zoom to get a picture of them. But nope. I didn't have to zoom at all, unless I wanted a close up pictire of their faces. It was awesome. We were so close that if we just took five little steps we would be right next to them. I have never seen anything like it in my entire life and it is an experience I will never forget. I wish I had gotten a picture of me by a gorilla but I was too amazed and in awe and just stood there watching them the whole time. We watched them for an hour. But it only felt like 20 minutes. There were two silver back gorillas too. Those are the dominant male gorillas. And they were HUGE. One started pounding the ground and it was insane. There were also four babies. Three were older babies but then there was one that was 7 months old and he was getting named on Saturday. So that was very cool to see a new born. It was so funny because they were just like humans. The way they looked at us and used their hands. They had much more relaxed lives then humans though. They were so calm and just sat there eating plants as we watched them. There was even a clown in the family who kept doing somersaults and even sat on the head of one of the silver backs. And they all kept farting hahah. I wish that I could attach a link to this post that you all could click and it would bring you to the middle of the jungle and you could see what I saw. I kept thinking how much everyone would have loved it. Especially my parents and Phil. After the shortest hour of my life, we walked back down the mountain. This walk down consisted of me falling 8 times and sliding through mud. But all of it was totally worth it. We got to the bottom and all of us were completely exhausted and hungry and felt like we had just ran a marathon. But we all had such a rewarding feeling. It was such an incredible experience that I really do feel so honored to have had. It's not every day that you get to see a gorilla, let alone be less then 100 kilometers away from them in their habitat. It was awesome. It's also cool because the profit from the ticket goes to a great cause. 75% of it goes to the conservation and protection of the gorillas from poachers and then the rest of the profit goes to the community and families that live at the base of the mountain. So I think that's very cool that not only was it a great and fun experience, but peoples lives are being bettered because of it also. Today was amazing and i would never trade this experience for the world. Tomorrow we go back to cyabatanzi, our community on the hill, and we are going to start painting the kindergarten classroom. I'm assigned to design the inside of the classroom so pressure is on me! But tomorrow is just priming. Phew. Alright well I am exhausted from being up since 3:30. Now go and google image baby gorillas because you will immediately fall in love!

Bye bye preschool

Today was our last day at the school. I'm gonna miss those little preschoolers. It was also cool because all the younger kids on the trip were broken into teams of two and taught a lesson plan to a class. It was cool to walk around and see them do this because as an education major, I could tell who should be a teacher. This one freshman girl was so amazing at being in front of the class and you could tell the kids loved what she had to say. That was really cool for me to see being older then them and also being a future teacher. After the students left school for the day we were invited to eat lunch with the teachers. Everyday the school provides both breakfast and lunch for the teachers. It was really neat getting to sit there with the teachers and eat lunch with them. They went around and introduced themselves and then said why they became a teacher. It was really cool to hear their answers because each and every one of them wanted to become a teacher because they love kids and want to teach them and help them. Many even said that they believe teaching is their passion. I thought that was awesome because in the US you find so many teachers who don't love teaching or don't really like kids or just teach because there's nothing else for them to do and they need the money. And that's insane to me. But it was amazing to hear that every one of them loved teaching and it was their passion. In the US our schools are so much more advanced, but the passion for teaching in these small run down schools in Rwanda is so much greater. After that the kids in the group left and mr fletcher and ms alper and I stayed with the teachers to talk about teaching there versus in back home. It was really cool hearing two of my old teachers talk about why they love what they do. It's not everyday you hear someone say they love their job where we are from, so hearing them say why they love theirs was really special. We left the school and came back to the hotel to go grocery shopping for food to make sandwiches for tomorrow because tomorrow we are taking the three hour drive to see the gorillas. We went to dinner at some pizza place. It's funny because the service takes so long here. We leave for dinner at 5:30 and don't get our food until 7:30 or 8:00 most nights. If not later. It's cool though because no one is freaking out at the waiter to hurry up. It's all just very relaxed. Rwanda time. We have to wake up at 3:30 am tomorrow to go gorilla watching because we need to be on the road at 4 in order to get there in time. It's a three hour drive and then a hike for who knows how long until we find the gorillas. I'm really excited though but need to sleep so I Wong be a zombie tomorrow and get gorilla attacked. So because of the time difference when I wake up at 3:30 tomorrow morning it will still only be 9:30 at night back in Ct. Hahah. Ok I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. Xo!